Fiber optical device and method of driving the same
US8363308B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 31, 2009 |
| Grant date | Jan 29, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 7, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S3/1618
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A fiber optical device 1A includes an amplification optical fiber 10, a seed light source 15 for supplying pulse seed light to the optical fiber 10, excitation light sources 21 to 25 for supplying excitation light, a bleaching light source 40 for supplying bleaching light for reducing a light transmission loss caused by photodarkening, and a control device 50 that controls the operations of individual portions. The control device 50 divides a period between a first output light pulse and a succeeding second output light pulse into a first period which includes a time point immediately after the output of the first output light pulse and during which the population inversion is unsaturated, and a second period which includes a time point immediately before the output of the second output light pulse, and, to the optical fiber 10, supplies the bleaching light in the first period and supplies the excitation light in the second period. Thus, it is possible to provide a fiber optical device and the method of driving it that can suitably restore the characteristics of the amplification optical fiber by photobleaching.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.